on a par with the original.



jcvd
manhunt
the wild geese

Wolverine..


we all watched the leaked workprint several weeks ago (couldnt resist)
but it didnt diminish the theatre experience at all.

it was a different movie on the big screen and we all enjoyed it like it was the first time.

not the be all and end all of comic book movies - it was still a lot of fun.

Already seen the leaked work print. I don't know whether its for the unfinished/unedited effects or the story...I couldn't enjoy it all. The story was the major disappointment but anyway I'll give it another watch after its original dvd release.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

if it wasn't for the "aging backwards" spin, it would have been a pretty dull story.

What I liked about it was the fact that both films work very well together as a double bill. The second one doesnt disappoint whatsover...its at par with the original.

Good to see fresh takes by the Europeans (French and now the Norwegians) on the worn-out slasher subgenre.

Pulse/Kairo (2001). i had high expectations for this movie and was not let down. The creepy and bleak atmosphere was unrelenting.

City of God/Cidade de Deus (2002). Great movie about life and death in the slums of Brazil just outside of Rio de Janeiro. Did not seem like a two hour movie. Love the manner in which this story was told as as well. Not horror, but no lack of violence. Ashe.
d

I watched the Workprint too. I haven't gotten a chance to see the theatrical release, though I'm going to. I didn't particularly care for it, other than Reynolds.

Did I miss something or was John Wraith completely pointless?

As was Gambit and The Blob.

I didnt see any reason for Gambit being in it, except that fans of the first 3 movies were clamouring for him. That being said, they completely mashed his character.

The Blob was like Venom in Spider-Man 3, put in to spice up the fights and satisfy crazed comicbook fans.

If you want to enjoy this movie, watch it without being biased towards the comics.

It just seemed like his role in the raid was thrown in last minute. He stops the guy they're after from getting the gun from under his desk. Wade could have done that.

The whole raid seemed kind of dumb too. They send in Wade, a guy who is really good at deflecting bullets, but I'm pretty sure he's not invulnerable at this point. When they have Logan and Creed, who can heal after being shot. I can see where Agent Zero and Bolt fit in.

V, I saw the "other" ending/s.
Don't worry, it's not any more spoiled than the rest of what they did with that character. While I'll probably buy the dvd a while after it's released, just to see the "complete" version, I still don't think it'll be among my Marvel top 5 by a long shot.

Watched Day of the Dead, the 2008 version.
Not that bad, interesting way they spun the remake keeping elements similar but storyline completely different. Thus far I haven't REALLY liked either of the "days" in all honesty. This one, as I said was ok. Not bad as "contagium", not as good as Dawn '04. Worth it if you haven't seen it, and now it's ridiculously cheap in some dvd places I've seen so maybe worth grabbing.

That makes me wonder...I know Snyder was going to do another zombie film that's now been delayed, and supposedly NOT the "sequel" to his dawn...but was there ever/is there a planned sequel to that one? I'd really like to see that, maybe even more'n whatever Romero wants to throw out next.

Philosophy of a Knife: Well actually I didn't watch it all. I kinda skimmed through it. It definitely was not what I was expecting. Maybe I have to slog my way through the whole 4 hours to fully appreciate it, but from what I did see it looked like a first or second year art student film. Very conceptual and messed up. I don't know if it can really work for four hours or not.

Tokyo Gore Police: I don't think I've laughed so much in my life. The gore is so over the top it just stops being gore and becomes slapstick. The effects are pretty hit and miss though. Some of it is done very well, while some of it is downright terrible. Decent enough movie, but not really something I'll watch again. I love gore, but the comic aspect just takes away from it for me.

JCVD: I had no idea what this was going to be like. It was awesome. Very well done and I will absolutely watch this again. Jean-Claude is great. He really takes a lot of punches at his own expense. There's one self-reflection part that is a bit lengthy and not really necessary, but the rest of the movie totally makes up for it. In no way is this a typical Jean-Claude Van Damme movie. Obviously not a horror movie, but I would highly recommend this one.

probably helps that the film continues directly on from the first, and the continuity with major characters from the first is another plus.

Masters of Horror: Dario Argenta: Pelts. Definitely not for the squeamish. Ashe.
d

Hollowman

Starts very well and the FX are excellent but there isnt too much else to recommend this one.

Versus (2000). Over the top in just about every aspect. Great flick.

Dark Water (2005). Only redeeming quality was that Jennifer Connelly was in it.

Ashe.
d

I enjoyed Dark Water. I thought it was well done. I didn't even know when I saw it that it was a j-horror remake.

They came back [Les revenants] (2004)

http://shopping.yahoo.com/video/imag.../12/244712.jpg

This is not a zombie or horror film, more of a human drama. The Dead comes back but instead of being flesh-hungry walking corpses, they just want to reintegrate into society, want their lives back; their jobs, their families and how would a society accommodate and re-integrate their deceased loved ones and relatives if they suddenly came from nowhere (cause they didn't rise from the grave!?!) with clean clothes, no illnesses, and energy to spare. Anyway, the idea wasn't bad but overall the movie was quite dull and there was no clear explanation about why/how they came back and where they finally returned.

>>: C-

The Mothman Prophecies (2002)

A chilling supernatural thriller.

>>: B

Maybe i have been watching too much J-horror. The states version really was not that scary and i hated the ending, but i agree that the movie itself was well put together. Ashe.
d

see the origional.

the remake completely missed the tension generated by the 'non horror' moments.

Notting hill.

terrible movie. it's like mcdonalds food .. you know it's shit at the time but you cant stop eating it. you almost enjoy it - but then feel terrible afterward.

Frequency

always liked this one

4 Peter Lorre movies on TCM last night.

Made me very, very happy. Such an under rated actor today.

Crime and Punishment
The Verdict
Island of Lost Men
Three Strangers

I didn't think he did much acting today :D

Contrary to what you young kids might think it's entirely possible to enjoy the acting abilities to people who have passed on, and give them due credit. Even ones who died before you were born.

Death at a Funeral

Seventh or eighth time around and it's still pretty damn funny.

The Burrowers

The premise is original, the monster is original (and the way it eats is fantastic), the story is a bit clunky, but there are so many good ideas at work that I don't mind a clunk here or there.

The emphasis on manliness and tough characters doing the right thing feels not unlike a story Hawkes or Carpenter would tell.

Good stuff. I'm guessing I'll enjoy it even more on repeat viewings.

7/10

Deliverance (1972)

>>: A-


Frayed (2007)

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/4540/frayed20071.jpg

A low budget slasher flick inspired by films like Halloween, High Tension, Identity...etc. etc.;) with some predictable as well as unexpected twists at the end. Not entirely a bad watch indeed.

>>: B-

The Hill
1965
Sean Connery, directed by Sidney Lumet

Connery sent to a British Army prison camp in North Africa, run by a sadistic Seargent Major.

Gritty, absorbing drama.

Inside.

Good movie. Wasn't as icky as I expected it to be. I felt sick at a few parts because I couldn't imagine them happening if it was my and my baby, but I think I'll be able to handle Martyrs now.

One of my favourite Connery films, absolutely love it. I always sit there just willing the Doctor to grow a backbone!



Cold Prey 2: Resurrection

Very solid sequel. Flows absolutely seamlessly from the first and maintains the look and feel of the first, which is totally to its benefit. There are a couple of cliches it avoids, a couple it doesnt but overall its refreshing slasher double bill.

BloodRayne. This was a horrible movie that i enjoyed nonetheless. Most crap movies with hot chicks end up boreng me about 15 minutes deep, but for some reason this one did not do so. Bad, bad dialogue, horrible acting, lots of not-so-great gore. And still it was a lot of fun. Ashe.
d

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

You know what? To hell with the critics. This was damn near perfect: easily on par with the first two X-Men flicks.

Yes, it takes a few liberties. No, it doesn't stick 100% to the established origin....so what? It made for a few twists and surprises other than being exactly what I expected.

The pace is breakneck, the characters are well portrayed (Yes, even Deadpool - I'll get to him shortly) and the action scenes are some of the best I've seen in quite awhile. I can already see this as one my #1 movie of the summer...everything a blockbuster should be.

Now, on the Deadpool front: *SPOILERS GALORE*

I'll be the first to admit that I've been worried right from the start that they would screw him up. No mask = no Deadpool, really.

I was otherwise impressed with him at first: they had the smartass attitude down perfectly. I usually can't stand Ryan Reynolds, but this is the part he's born for: an arrogant, cocky smartass. He nailed the part during the raid scene - despite the lack of mask and scars, I was completely impressed. Only thing that really bugged me was that we never really got to see him again.

Now, when he showed up again as Weapon XI...obviously I was a bit pissed at first. Like Cheeb said: he's the merc with the mouth for crying out loud. Taking that away from his is just the writer giving a big ol' up yours to fans of the character. Still, lets be objective here: that fight scene was badass (until the optic blasts: I'll admit, that was a bit lame). Then when they killed him off, I figured they'd lost all chance of redemption.

But wait! After the credits?! Ah-ha! Here's where it all makes sense! They weren't doing a lazy, half-formed version of the character: they were revamping his goddamn origin story!! Sure, they changed a few details, but lets look at it for sec: at this point he's obviously invulnerable, he's breaking the 4th wall, he's scarred and ugly as sin and - most importantly - his mouth is, as it should be, open for business. The nailed half of his character in the opening raid, and now they've got it all set up for the rest of him. The only reason I'd be pissed with their take on Deadpool is if they don't follow through with it. And considering his spinoff is already greenlit and Reynolds is signed on - I think we should be all. Fucking. Set.

I left the theatre bouncing off the walls and wanting more - especially more Deadpool.

The Spirit

I've been avioding this Frank Miller directed interpretation of Will Eisner's comic for quite a while... and now I know why. I haven't turned a movie off in months (probably over a year) but this one begs the question "were there any adults supervising this film?"

Miller's directing is a mess. This is a film that feels like a comic strip, not a comic book... and certainly not a gritty piece of film noir. The "comedy" is inane and putrid. I turned the film off thirty minutes into the film (the wife and kids fell asleep 15 minutes in) and I have no intention of watching the rest of it ever.

I made it to about the twenty minute mark before I shut it off.

It's really a shame because The Spirit is one of the stellar lights in comic strip history. There's a reason comic strip awards are called The Eisners.

The Spirit looks stupid...but that said I would say it's just because it's not really right for a movie
(Don't get me wrong, Eisners work is cool)
...Miller did quite well when he was working with his own material though, and by far. I'd be interesting in seeing some more adaptations of his own work, that are actually by him (no more 300s), Sin City was all it should have been, nothing that the spirit is/was can take that away.

I think it is Rodriguez's film savvy that made Sin City so good, not Miller's hand. Miller makes great comics, but I don't think he is a filmmaker.

Guess we'll never know until we see him work with his own work, on his own.
I don't think sin city really screamed rodriguez though.

He is one of my favorite actors. He was backburned often, but even as a supporting actor he often overshadowed leads.

His performance in M alone is one of the most telling and naked performances of all time.